RH Jones: ORTA & OEA-R going alone with COLA cut could be held liable?

From RH Jones, September 27, 2010

To all:

At this point in time, the ORTA an OEA-R should be protecting us from cuts, but they have not. Recently, here in Akron a person who was going along with an individual who pulled the trigger in a murder case was also held responsible and was sent to prison for life -- without parole. Possibly, under the same reasoning one could think that ORTA and OEA-R, having gone along with a deleterious 1% cut in the simple 3% COLA, also possibly could be held liable in court as well as would be the perpetuator: the OH STRS officials. Perhaps, even other organizations, which are a party to this retired teacher reduction of our COLA, could be held liable. NOTE: of course this not for life in prison.

This retired teacher is not a lawyer but it seems to me that officials should think through advocating something that affects those who retired thinking that our simple 3% COLA HC/Rx, and that which would cover our spouse, lawful dependent, and us would not be cut. These" were clearly printed in the STRS simple 3% COLA "Survivor Benefits" pamphlets long ago and even now in 2010.

Is it not time to just move on to a better plan than that which could not be so deleterious to all of us retired teachers?

This is my thinking,

RHJones, retired OH STRS teacher member